Battle of Mons

The Battle of Mons was fought on 23 August 1914 during World War I when the British Army attempted to hold the Mons-Conde Canal against the advancing Imperial German Army as it invaded France from Belgium. The British inflicted heavy losses on the Germans before being forced to retreat by the French 5th Army's withdrawal.

Background
Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914. By the time the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had deployed to France, the fighting was already well under way. First organized in 1907, the BEF consisted of six infantry divisions and a cavalry division. Under plans discussed with the French Army from 1911, the BEF was to take up position on the left of the French line. Home defense was to be entrusted to the Territorial Army and reserves. At the outbreak of war, however, the nervous British government insisted on two infantry divisions remaining at home. Mobilization was punctual and efficient, with large numbers of horses also sent to the front. The BEF was in position around Maubeuge in France by 20 August. By then, the Lorraine offensive was in trouble, and Belgium was being decimated.

History
Placed in command of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), Field Marshal Sir John French was given written isntructions by the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Lord Herbert Kitchener. These told him to "support and cooperate with the French army," while at the same time stressing that he would "in no case come under the orders of any Allied general." The field marshal was also instructed to take the greatest care to minimize "losses and wastage." How the BEF was to remain independent and intact while wholeheartedly supporting the French was not explained. Kitchener also sent a personal message to the troops in which they were advised, among other things, to behave courteously in foreign lands and resist "temptations both in wine and women." The BEF's position on the Belgian frontier at the extreme left of the French line was considered a quiet sector. By 16 August, when Field Marshal French went for his first meeting with General Charles Lanrezac, commander of the French 5th Army, it was becoming apparent this would not be the case.

Mutual incomprehension
Ordered by a complacent General Joseph Joffre to advance into southern Belgium, Lanrezac was convinced he was about to be overwhelmed by German forces. He did not trust the British to protect his left flank, especially as they had arrived with only four divisions instead of the promised six. The meeting between French and Lanrezac ended in mutual incomprehension. The British advanced into Belgium, reaching the Conde-Mons canal on 22 August, a day ahead of General Alexander von Kluck's German 1st Army, which was advancing from the east. Under orders to maintain the pace of the advance through Belgium, Kluck mounted a frontal assault on the British, who were in defensive positions along the far bank of the canal. The Battle of Mons, as it became known, was a fierce skirmish.

Gunned down
The British were short of machine guns but the rapid rifle fire of the regular soldiers mowed down the massed columns of German infantry. British field artillery was pushed dangerously forward, because the gunners were unpracticed in firing beyond the line of sight, but its shrapnel was brutally effective against soldiers advancing in the open. By the end of the day, the BEF had suffered 1,600 casualties, and the Germans 5,000. Outnumbered two to one in soldiers and guns, the British had been forced to pull back, but they were ready to resume the next day. To the right of the British position, however, Lanrezac's army was in serious trouble. The French faced a large-scale attack by General Karl von Bulow's German 2nd Army, which had established bridgeheads across the Sambre and Meuse Rivers.

Retreat and pursuit
Lanrezac needed to extricate his army from potential encirclement and destruction. On the night of 23 August, he sent Joffre the unwelcome news that he was going to withdraw the following day. The BEF had no choice but to follow Lanrezac's example. Beginning on 24 August, there was a series of hard-fought actions as the British sought to disengage from an enemy in close pursuit. Getting the field guns away before they were seized was often a hazardous operation, as batteries kept firing until the very last moment, covering the infantry as it fell back from the German advance.

The largest engagement was at Le Cateau, northern France, where the Germans caught up with the BEF's II Corps, commanded by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, on the night of 25 August. Disobeying an order from French to continue the withdrawal, which he considered impossible, Smith-Dorrien turned to fight. On the morning of 26 August, the British delivered a sufficient check to the Germans to allow an orderly withdrawal later in the day, but this was achieved at the cost of some 8,000 men, including a battalion of Gordon Highlanders who, failing to receive the order to retreat, fought on until all were dead or captured. The war had hardly begun and the BEF had already lost about 10% of its original strength.

Aftermath
The Battle of Mons was a minor engagement, but because it was the first entry of British troops in the war, it was portrayed as an epic battle to the British public. Mons was soon being compared to historic examples of British forces defying much larger enemy armies, such as the Battle of Agincourt. A popular myth developed in 1915 that angels had intervened to protect British soldiers. The "Angel of Mons" became a standard theme of British propaganda.

Mons was the starting point for the Great Retreat, in which French and British troops marched from Belgium to south of the Marne River, with German armies advancing behind them. Joffre struggled to reorganize French forces. With some difficulty, he revived cooperation with the British, convincing their commander to resume the fight.